Story answers much about great athlete Hinkey Haines, including origin of his nickname
Henry ‘Hinkey’ Haines, left, and Babe Ruth were teammates on the 1923 World Series champion New York Yankees. Background posts: Southpaw could be next York/Adams major leaguer, York County sports a miniature Cooperstown and Red Lion’s Butch Wynegar ranks bright among York’s sports stars.
Henry L. “Hinkey” Haines might have been the most accomplished athlete ever to come out of York and Adams counties.
So contends Frank Bodani, who spearheaded the Greatest Athletes series now running weekly in the York Daily Record/Sunday News.
Certainly, he made the York Sunday News’ top 10 list of greatest athletes of the 20th century.
But he did not make the top 10 list of Red Lion Area Senior High School athletes.
The book “Red Lion, The First One Hundred Years” offers a possible explanation for that:
“While in high school, he was involved primarily in baseball. This was community baseball since high school sports were only in their infancy.”
Whatever the lack of opportunities presented to Red Lion’s Class of 1916, Haines went on to two-sport All-American status at Penn State and played on championship teams for the New York Yankees and New York Football Giants.
Bodani wrote an insightful profile about Haines as part of the Greatest Athlete Series.
He even answered the origin of his interesting nickname. Hinkey was a nonsensical creation by boarding school buddies.
To read Bodani’s profile, click here.
